The Simple Present Tense is called "Geniş Zaman - Wide Tense" in Turkish. It is also known as the aorist or timless tense grammar. The Simple Present Tense is used for habitual situations. The Wide tense participle also has this same sense for when used as an adjective and it precedes the noun which it describes. The formation of both the positive -ir -ır -ür -ur and negative - maz -mez participles is the same as their respective Wide simple present tense bases.
The simple present tense positive sign -r is used to mark this type of participle.
akmak - to flow - becomes akar - that which flows (continually, habitually)
If we place the tense base after the noun then it is a verb:
Nehir, denize kadar akar. - The river flows as far as the sea.
However if we use it in front of a noun then it is an adjective meaning - that which flows
Yatak odasında akar su var. - There is running water in the bedroom. [Meaning water is available in that room.]
This is at variance with the Present Participle - akan - which is flowing. Here the meaning is different.
Yatak odasında akan su var. - There is water (which is) flowing in the bedroom. - [The meaning here is that there is leak or maybe the roof is leaking.]
It is apparent that the Wide Tense Participle describes what generally happens as a rule and the Present Participle describes what is happening now.
Many Wide Tense Participles have entered the language as common nouns in their own right.
Yazmak - to write. Wide Tense tense base - yazar - which means - writer or author.
Bu kitabın yazarı Orhan Kemal' dır. - This writer (author) of this book is Orhan Kemal.
But if we were to use the Present Participle then the meaning changes.
Bu kitabı yazan Orhan Kemal' dır - It is Orhan Kemal who wrote this book.
This is also used as an adjective mainly to describe the general state of things. We also use this construction in English quite a lot.
I saw an unbelievable film last night. - [which is not able to be believed.]
It was an unforgettable film. - [which is not able to be forgotten.]
Here we in English are using the Negative Participle as an Adjective by placing it in front of its noun.
But it can also take its verbal form as well:
The film I saw last night was unbelievable. [It could not be believed..] - as a verb.
The film was unforgettable. [It was not able to be forgotten..] - as verb.
So we can see it is all a matter of position of the participle. Placed before its noun it is an adjectival description - placed after its noun it becomes a verb. This then is the way Turkish uses these participles, in exactly the same manner as English.
The simple present tense negative sign -maz/-mez is used to mark this type of participle.
akmak - to flow. - becomes - akmaz - That which does not flow (continually, habitually)
We can best show it use by example (these examples are in the negative potential form) :
İnanılamaz bir şey oldu! - An unbelievable thing has happened! [inan-ıl-a-maz - that which is not able to be usually believed]
Dün akşam unutulamaz bir filim seyrettik. - We watched an unforgettable film last night.
Garajınızda kullanılamaz olan eski bir bisiklet buldum. - I found an old unusable bicycle in your garage.
This example shows the addition of - olan -The Present Participle of - olmak - meaning - which is. - thus helping the listener to discern that the participle is an adjective.
Many of these negative participles have also become nouns in their own right. The usual example of this is - çıkmaz - that which does not exit. This has come to mean a "cul-de-sac", so one can often see the sign - ÇIKMAZ SOKAK - a street with no exit, cul-de-sac. It can also be found on doors which lead nowhere in public buildings - ÇIKMAZ - NO EXIT [Lit Does not exit..].
There is one formula to translate - as soon as which uses both positive and negative Wide Tense participles in apposition: Biz gelir gelmez yemek yiyelim - As soon as we come, lets eat (a meal). This formula is quite heavily used in day to day speech.
The translation of - as soon as I come/came. - Ben gelir gelmez
As soon as is translated by using the Wide Tense Positive and Negative Participles in apposition: ...ir ... mez, as in sen gelir gelmez - as soon as you come/came.
1. The person (subject) has to be stated as it is not apparent from the verb form.
2. The tense is taken from the verb of the final statement.
3. Very often the word - when - can be substituted for - as soon as - in English.
Ben gelir gelmez bir kaza oldu. - As soon as I came an accident happened.
Sen gelir gelmez bir kaza oldu. - As soon as you came an accident happened.
O gelir gelmez bir kaza olacakmış. - As soon as he comes an accident will probably happen.
Mehmet gelir gelmez bir kaza olabilir. - As soon as Mehmet comes an accident may happen.
Biz gelir gelmez bir kaza oldu. - As soon as we came an accident happened.
Siz gelir gelmez bir kaza oldu. - As soon as you came an accident happened.
Onlar gelir gelmez bir kaza oldu. - As soon as they came an accident happened.
Polis gelir gelmez başka bir kaza oldu. - As soon as the police came another
Accident happened.
Biz çıkar çıkmaz annem gelecekmiş - As soon as (when) we go out my mother may arrive.
Onlar oraya varır varmaz partı başlayacak. - As soon as (when) they arrive there the party will begin.